Equilibrium

Long ago, the three Pony clans were separate rivals, tied together through flimsy treaties and a reluctant obligation to uphold the existence of one another. They hated each other greatly. That hate spawned, or attracted (many ponies disagree on this detail) the Wendigos- creatures that sap the negative fire to leave a blistering cold that could freeze the very core of the strongest of wyrms.

They appeared, and all of the old homeland was enveloped in ice and snow that would never melt. Our species was forced away from the old homeland. Far and wide, we travelled as nomads- split up out of continued spite for each other, until we eventually found what would become Equestria. There, we learned to love each other- in light of the Wendigos following us. We defeated them, and then… well, you know the rest. The stage adaptation is performed everywhere. They release films almost every year as well to contend for the Broncos. No foal is safe from that bit of popular culture.

Of course, there were new treaties, and the birth of our monarchs; Galaxia and Canterlot- the parents of Celestia and Luna. They were great rulers, as far as I knew. They kept Equestria afloat for a few thousand years- until Canterlot’s early and untimely passing, later followed by the Queen’s own death. The details of both, not even I am aware of.

But they weren’t the great rulers we thought them to be… Galaxia was mad. She had been driven mad- not with power- but with grief, for after the King’s sudden illness and passing, the Rhinos came. They viewed the land that became Equestria as a sacred ground- never to be inhabited by any but nature itself. The very gemstones should never be touched, in their eyes.

It seems unfair, given that we only just inhabited this beautiful land, and the cold of the Wendigos had rendered the motherland permanently enveloped in blankets of ice and snow, too thick and cold for the sun to melt…

Anyway, the War began, and after many years, we prevailed. But Galaxia had never seen such bloodshed; no pony has. She vowed that there would never be war ever again, and we all agreed. In her madness, she amassed unbelievable power and learned to manipulate the celestial bodies- a talent she would later pass down to her daughters.

Another great treasure she passed down was a collection of elements all ponies would find familiar. They were once part of a creature of immeasurable power, known as Equilibrium- a deity worshipped by the Sea Ponies.

The mad Queen’s magic was immensely powerful due to her near-sleepless nights of controlling everything, and not even the deity stood a chance. Equilibrium was split in two: Discord, and Harmony.

For a time, Equestria was peaceful. The Princesses took over the duties their mother once held, and they ruled the world rather nicely, while the Queen worked behind the scenes until her own passing.

Which brings us to a spire in Canterlot.

In this spire in Canterlot, there lived a young earth colt. He was very well off, all things considered. For an earth pony like him, the Equestrian city wasn’t the most fitting place. Earth ponies are often better employed on the ground, rather than high up inside an ivory city on an indigo mountain that pierced the heavens. Canterlot- the capital city of Equestria- was the safest city in all the land, and also the most extravagant. Every spire was made of some form of marble, with strong metal reinforcements hidden under ornate designs made of any form of visually appealing material- especially gold and gemstones.

The interiors of these spires were equally comfortable to look at and rich with detail. In the colt’s home- a rather average spire owned by his successful parents, there were twelve stories full of various things a rich family would have. Rest rooms with gold-trimmed shower handles, multiple bedrooms on the higher floors, the study on the third floor, storage rooms, two parlours at the base- connected by huge mahogany doors- and a massive living room with a connected kitchen on the second floor.

There were no basements- nearly no spire had basements, on account of the fact that half of the city was held (aloft by levitation magic-infused rune stones that never deteriorated) over the steep cliffs along the side of the humongous Canterlot mountain. The only buildings that had basements were the Palace (which dug deep into the mountain) and the Barracks. (Also dug deep into the mountain, but with smoothly carved tunnels that led non-pegasus guards around key Canterlot areas very quickly.) Most of the tunnels of the Canterlot Mountain had been forgotten. Though rediscovered during the recent Changeling attack, they were once used by the Queen’s personal guard, the Old Guard.

The Old Guard was an order of assassins- incredibly fit and well-trained ponies who were good at not being seen- who even after the Queen’s death, still followed their final orders- to keep Equestrian utopia. They subtly spread propaganda, discouraged negative thinking of any way, and (most disturbingly) eliminated “problems”. They were an old-fashioned notion, and we learned that a more effective way to dealing with problems between two sapient creatures is to utilize that sapience… But the Old Guard disagreed, and they paid for that dearly. The justice for the atrocities they had committed had been met, especially since they planned to assassinate our own Princess, for steering away from the whims of the Mad Queen.

But this is the Old Guard- an order of ponies who were kept secret for nearly four thousand years. How were these ponies discovered? … Well, it was a matter of time, and that time came with that very same colt I mentioned earlier. This little colt was named Kurt Foalington- an odd name, in my opinion. After all, what even is a “Kurt”? Well then again, I do know a pony named Jeff LeTrotski, so maybe it was some secluded trend I never caught onto.

Anyway, Kurt Foalington was a young colt, a rather quiet colt, an unassuming colt- until you witness him speaking to nopony in particular. Kurt Foalington was mad… very mad… and no pony thought he was anything but normal.

He, of course, wasn’t normal. A fair number of ponies wanted to remind him of that, to the point of downright harassment. However, through constant verbal and physical pestering from bullies who saw him as strange, Kurt learned to fight… and fight well. The Royal Guard, recognizing this horrifying talent, took him under their wings and trained him to become a guard.

Heh… “That’s just silly!” You may (and will) say, “Why give a pony with such issues such power?”

The answer: because it paid off. He prevented a war. But before I get to the story, I must introduce two more elements: Immortals, and Kurgan Indrik.

Kurgan Indrik was an immortal- a massive, ancient Rhinoceros whose time predates Equestrian origins. He led his people during the old Rhino War that had shaken the Queen so. Over four thousand years old, the beast was a warrior- with one massive tusk the size of a pony, humongous eyes with membranes as tough as leather, a thick, hairy hide that could block all but the toughest of blades, and huge hooves that could crush stone with little effort.

Kurgan was a warrior, but Kurt was young, fresh, and agile. At his age, he was at a pony’s physical peak. He was sent as a champion to challenge Kurgan Indrik in a duel to the death. The result of the duel would be the key factor in whether or not we would have another war with the Rhinos.

Despite the beast’s size, ferocity, and experience, Kurt prevailed. He had slain the one we once thought immortal. Through that, our Kurt Foalington became an immortal as well. Kurt would have… should have died on the battlefield after slaying Kurgan, but he didn’t. No one knew why. Immortality was an unheard-of concept only the Princesses could comprehend. It’s only recently that we became aware of the secluded club of everlasting individuals… like myself…

Even now, we’re only just started recording all known immortals in the world… but that is part of this next story. This is the story of a pony with a problem.